Round 2...

Tragedy struck for the second time this time by complete suprise. All was going great. I was working, having a good time and was in my final year of my degree that i never saw i coming. I had just been offered a new job and did my first day and the next day i fell ill with the flu. Days went pass and i refused to go to the hospital as i was convinced it was just a very bad case of the flu. I had a routine clinic appointment the week later and as soon as my surgeon saw me and examined me he said he wanted to admit me as something didn't feel right. I remember it was March 14th 2006 that my life changing journey and battle to survive began.


Days and weeks passed and i was hoping to be discharged so that i can get back to my new job and concentrate on my most important year at uni but every day any hope i had was getting less. I was getting jaundice and filling up with ascites by the day and pain and itching eventually took over my body and i my apetite was decreasing until i couldn't tolerate anything due to the pain.

Two weeks into my admission i was told that scans and bloods revealed that my liver was failing again and i was in desperate need for a transplant and my bilirubin reached a high of 800. This came as a complete shock and was not at all prepared again but i had no time to think about it as it was a matter of urgency that they list me on the priority list

More days and weeks passed and no liver and i was deteriorating and was unable to eat as the pain was so severe that not even two doses of morphine shots would kill it so my surgeon made the quick decision to operate to see what was causing the pain as all my scans didn't show anything except for liver failure. After the operation he came to talk to me and my mum and explained that my bowel was obstructed and kinked from all the adhesions from previous surgeries which in turn caused the pain and inability to eat. He also said that my liver was so badly damaged that it's vital that i get a new liver asap. However due to the major bowel surgery they had to disable me from the transplant list as i had to recover as i wouldn't have much chance surviving going into transplant being so ill. So after 3 weeks i slowly got some energy back and was eating a bit more so they re-activated me on the list. Again, time was passing and still no liver, by this time i was getting frustrated, i was becoming malnourished, my stomach was getting bigger, i was getting more jaundiced and my mobility was being compromised. Everyday would be a routine of blood transfusions, potassium, alubumin, insulin and other infusions. My veins were becoming weak due to all the bloods, canulas and central lines and my body was turning black blue from all the bruises of painkiller and heparin injections. The pain got so bad that i was asking for pain relief every hour which meant sleepless nights an alot of hallucinations. I can't remember much of what happened to me during those long dark days, all i know is what i was told by my family, friends and hospital staff. I was told that at one point when i collapsed from bleeding my kidneys had shut down for a while so i was put on diyalisis when they transferred me to LITU. Also that i became slightly enclopathic (sp?).

On September 30th 2006 i got a visit from the transplant co-ordinator to tell me that there may be a suitable liver for me but it was a non-heartbeating donor therefore if it was a match for me i would have to go into surgery almost immediately. After a few minutes my consultant and the co-ordinator came back and said that it was all go as it was a perfect match, all what was left was my consent to go ahead which i gave and minutes later was being wheeled to theatre.

The operation lasted a little over 10 hours but a few hours after being transferred to LITU i had hepatic atery thrombosis and was brough back to theatre to undergo an aterial conduit which lasted a further 4 hours in surgery. Due to the double anesthetic i did not wake up until 6 days post transplant and was still so sedated that everything was a blur to me. I was finally transferred to the ward on my 11th day and tests showed that the graft was working well and i was making good progress.

However, a few weeks later bad luck struck again and one night my mum noticed that the stuff that was draining into my bile bag had turned black so she notified the doctor and one of my surgeons came to see me and said that i was to go back into theatre asap as it was obvious that my bowel had ruptured. It was then back to LITU for a further week post surgery and then things started to look positive again and i my main goals now was to get myself eating again so i could come of he TPN and get back on my feet after month of being bed bound. As the weeks passed i was making small and slow progress on both the eating and mobility as i was still in pain. I know i was giving both the physios and my dieticien a hard time but i was so demotivated as it wasn't like my first transplant where i started to feel better days after surgery, this time i felt just as bad as i was pre-transplant.

Christmas was fast approaching and i wanted to be home so i decided i had to pull myself together and do my best to get my energy back if there was to be any hope of me going home for Christmas, so i started to take my physio sessions seriously and tried to eat. Things started to go well and i was getting excited about going home but as usual the bad luck fairy decided to pay me a visit again. I had a routine angiogram to see how well the graft was functioning and the news was not good.

I remember one of the SHO's come into my room and very bluntly said 'i'm sorry you need another transplant as your hepatic atery is blocked again.' I was in shock and my mum had popped out to get something and when she got back i told her and she could'nt say anything to me all she did was cry. After the 5 O' clock doctors meeting the consultant came down to explain to me properly and confirm that i needed to be listed again followed by the transplant co-ordinators and my social worker who all held my hand and cried with me. No one could believe how much bad luck i have had. By this time i couldn't face another transplant, i was tired, in pain and i just wanted it all to end and was thinking of giving up as i don't think i could stay strong again, all my hopes and dreams and the thought of making it home for Christams all went out the window. It was like someone had switched of the light at the end of the tunnel and all i could see is darkness.

A few weeks passed and still no liver and suddenly you'll be glad to know there was a sudden turn around and finally some good news....I DIDN'T NEED ANOTHER TRANSPLANT!!!! How relieved and happy i was, i could'nt believe it, suddenly my liver was getting oxygen and blood through colletoral veins, the only downside was that i would need to be on warfarin indefinately, but that was something i could definately live with. However, my consultant came to talk to me and made me aware that there is a high chance that i will need a third trasplant later in life. I didn't care much as long as it was not now i was happy and i could again begin to look forward to going home for Christmas so i started to work hard on my eating and physio again.

A few days later scans showed a stricture in my bile ducts....OMG NOT AGAIN!!! They inserted a stent and ptc drain and bag which i had to keep in for a further 6 weeks. I thought to myself this can't be happeing again. I keep taking one step forward and 3 giant steps back...When is the end???

Anyway, it was Dec 24th and i had a fever and fluid in my lungs but i was so desperate to be at home with my family for Christmas that the consultant made a deal with me that i could go home and come back the next day for bloods but on a condition that if at anytime my temp goes higher than 37.8 to come straight back in. So i agreed and thankfully i was okay and went back the next day for bloods and they let me out again until New Year and when i came back on Jan 2nd 2007 they fully discharged me....YIPPEE, HALLELUJAH!!!

Believe it or not that is the short version of a very lonnnnnng story and thats not the end as the story continues so keep checking in....